A hearty breakfast or brunch, great for weekends. However, since I prefer to do the crust myself, this only means I have to wake up a tad early to make the crust, but it is so worth it! The recipe makes 2 9-inch pans.

Directions:
1. Stir together flour and salt.
2. Add the diced butter, and mix into dry ingredients with pastry blender or fork.
3. Add water, 1 tbsp at a time, incorporating into mixture.
4. Flour hands and pat the dough into 2 balls.
5. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 2 days.
6. Roll out and fit into pans, prick the dough with a fork, and refrigerate again for 10 min, before baking 10-12 minutes in 425F oven.

Directions:
1. In a pan, saute onions with olive oil till golden.
2. Add shredded ham (and mushrooms).
3. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. In a bowl, mix together on low speed the cream, milk and eggs.
5. Stir in the cheese, then season with the pepper and salt.
6. Pour into prepared pastry shell and sprinkle the top lightly with nutmeg.
7. Bake for around 30 minutes till set and skewer comes out clean.
8. Let cool for few minutes before serving.

Great with fresh salad on the side. I make it with zesty Italian dressing.

My third attempt at a cheesecake, and probably the best so far. It was so rich, that even a dessert addict like myself could only manage half a slice. It miraculously lasted three sittings!

Fast forward 6 years to November 2015
I had to come up with dessert for an upcoming potluck my husband was attending and my daughter screamed 'Cheesecake ... Oreo Cheesecake. Mommy, you gotta make an Oreo cheesecake because the photo in your blog looks out of focus'. Really? Just because I had to update the photo? LOL! (Yep ... these are now the new pics)

I was still weighing the endless options when I opened the fridge and guess what? A 3 lb block of cream cheese was sitting on my top shelf. I realised that I got it a few days ago to make a pumpkin cheesecake, but when I announced it on the dinner table, the response was 'less than ecstatic' so I threw that out the window. Well it's crystal clear now that my husband will be carrying an Oreo cheesecake to this potluck.

Surely, you don't think that I can get away with making one cake and having the kids see it walk out the door, do you? I have to make another one for home! And for that the brief was 'Mommy, I want the crust to go up the sides'. This ... I can accomodate. Here is said cake pictured with Pierre, our resident penguin.

Easy, peasy, rich and decadent, and I still can't manage more than half a slice, this Oreo cheesecake is a family favorite and boy, am I glad we didn't make the pumpkin cheesecake ... yet!
This recipe is for one 9 inch cheesecake with a bottom crust. For more crust going up the sides, double the amount of cookies (yep! that's a lot of Oreos)

Ingredients:

24 (crust) + 12 (batter) + 6 (topping) = 42 Oreo Cookies

3 tbsp butter, melted

750g cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1/8 cup cornstarch

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, put a deep roasting / baking pan of water in a lower rack.

2. Place 24 cookies in a ziplock bag, let out all the air & crush them gently with a rolling pin.

3. Place these in a bowl with the butter, mix well.

4. Press the mixture into bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing the batter.

5. Crush the 12 & 6 cookies as well and place in separate bowls.

6. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer.

7. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating till just blended.

8. Add the sour cream and cornstarch and mix in.

9. Stir the 12 crushed cookies into batter.

10. Pour over prepared crust. Sprinkle with remaining 6 cookies.

11. Bake for 45 minutes.

The center will still be a tad wobbly, with a skewer, make sure that cake is not still gooey inside. If so, add another 5 - 10 minutes. (Or you may turn off the oven and leave the cake in there for that extra time.)

12. Cool in pan for 15 minutes ( I covered with foil loosely for 15 min, then cooled with foil off.) Open the sides of the pan when cooled, then refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Yes, overnight!

If the cheesecake cracks a tad, don't fret, sprinkle some more crushed cookies on top ;)

The hardest part: convincing the kids that the cheesecake will be ready to eat the next day!!

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About me

Growing up in a multicultural family, we have always enjoyed a wide array of cuisines. That's why you will find here a taste of the Indian, with special emphasis on Sindhi cuisine; a taste of the Indonesian, especially the Manadonese dishes, and surely, the universal Chinese dishes.